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SILVER: Tales from the Fringes of Reality. Episode 16 – In Honor of the Spellerman’s Egg.

OPAL: (distant) Are you sure, brother? We can wait a few more days. Mari and Memo are still processing, and–

ALASDAIR: I’m sure, Opal. I do appreciate you looking out for me, though, and hope you know I’d do the same for you. 

(steps, knocking)

Is it alright if we come in, Whim?

(knocking. A pause before the door opens) 

Thank you, Whim. How are you feeling? It’s good to see you up and about; Opal and mum told me all about your progress, it’s excellent to hear. How has your casting felt? 

(flames flickering)

OPAL: Oh, that’s much stronger than our last check in! You’re getting stronger by the moment, Whim. In fact, you’re probably well enough to leave our little sick bay by now. We have a proper room set up for you, one with less magic and medical monitoring equipment and more… Well, more views of the plane of magic and the Fringes proper. Why don’t we get you settled into your room before… Everything.

(walking)

ALASDAIR: Opal, I can tell you’re stalling.

OPAL: Not stalling, merely… Waiting for the optimal moment.

ALASDAIR: You know everything in reality. Which means you know that that means stalling. 

Whim, I heard about–

OPAL: Here we are! Why don’t we give you a moment–

ALASDAIR: I think I know what’s happened with the heartline magic!

OPAL: What.

ALASDAIR: I think I know what happened. Marigold and I were talking about it and the fracturing of the lines sounded familiar. I did some digging and… I think we can put it back together. Shatter spells are simple, but Marigold’s magic is not; cross the two of them together and you get these shards of magic that pierce like glass or jagged metal. 

OPAL: …Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?

ALASDAIR: I’ve been trying to get you to come and talk to Whim with me, but you’ve been deflecting.

OPAL: And you think this is just… A shatter spell gone wrong? 

ALASDAIR: Well… It’s a bit more complicated than that. I mean, Minerva isn’t a caster after all. Or, at least, she’s not meant to be. There’s so much physicality to casting that I can’t imagine– Either way, it’s not exactly a shatter spell, but it worked like one. Which should mean we can undo it like one.

OPAL: Which would mean that Silver might be able to follow the heartline back here.

ALASDAIR: Exactly. If we can get them to remember the heartline, they should be able to follow it properly once the line is put back together. But from what mum and ren have said… I know you didn’t have any possible answers when they brought it up, but have you figured anything else out, Opal?

OPAL: No. It’s like you said, it seems like simple memory magic, but Minerva isn’t a caster and whatever she’s done has come out… wrong. Like it’s crashing into more powerful magic and becoming twisted in it. Mom thinks that Minerva is becoming more powerful but…

ALASDAIR: But?

OPAL: But what if she’s not more powerful, she’s just throwing spells in a way that clashes? If what you said is true and a reality’s magic coming into contact with our magic makes things go wrong, then Minerva doesn’t need to be stronger, she just needs to throw things out there to see how they react. That’s why it was so unclear what she could’ve done to the heartline, or how she’s managed to mess with Silver’s memories so much; she’s not doing complex, powerful magic, she’s just letting our magic amplify and corrupt whatever she’s doing.

ALASDAIR: Stars above.

OPAL: If you are right, though– and I’m fairly certain you are– that means we have a starting point for undoing everything. It’s simple spells being… Sharpened by stronger magic. We can file down those sharp edges and figure out what spell we’re actually looking to reverse.

ALASDAIR: Which is about as easy as it sounds. That is to say, it’s not easy but it’s more achievable than what we’ve been doing. Have we picked up anything from Silver today?

OPAL: Al–

ALASDAIR: I know, Opal. I know. But… A bit of discomfort is bearable if it means we’re a little closer to finding Silver again. Even if this isn’t the key to getting her home, it’s a piece in the puzzle that can get us that much closer.

OPAL: You’re too good for your own good, Al. But yes, there was a new recording that we’ve picked up on. Let me just go grab my tablet–

(walking)

ALASDAIR: How are you doing, Whim? I know all of this has been a lot on all of us, but I’d imagine it’s been especially rough on you. You’re the only one of us who’s seen him in person in over a year, after all, and to be pulled away from him again… Are you doing alright? Truly alright?

(tapping) ‘I’m as fine as can be expected, all things considered’. Well, that’s good at least. (tapping) ‘Silver is stronger than we give her credit for. It’ll be rough but she’ll bounce back’. I know she will, that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy her being gone. Seeing my brother so distressed, knowing that her mind has been messed with, knowing that I helped make all of that possible– (tapping) ‘You didn’t know’ but I could’ve guessed. I had seen AIs before, we all had. The good, the bad, the magical, the mundane… There was always the possibility that something like this could happen. If I had just prepared a little better, thought this through a little more–

OPAL: We planned and planned for ages, Al.

ALASDAIR: Opal–

OPAL: You and me, day in and day out, looking at the structure of Minerva, weighing the pros and cons of her creation. Each of us had a hand in her creation, Alasdair. If anything, I put more of the raw knowledge into Minerva than you did. This isn’t your fault, it isn’t anyone’s fault. 

(tapping)

ALASDAIR: …’Silver wouldn’t want you to blame yourself’. You’re right, Whim. Thank you, both of you. I think… Everything with the heartlines and the static in their thoughts has frazzled me. But you’re right, they wouldn’t want this for me and more than that, it doesn’t help to wallow in self pity. It won’t bring them back any sooner.

OPAL: Are you sure you’re up for this right now, Al? 

ALASDAIR: I am. For Silver.

OPAL: For Silver.

(tap)

SILVER: Fuck! Couldn’t you at least drop me a little less violently, Min? And maybe not in the middle of the forest for one? Stars, branches are not good for breaking my fall and–

What in the name of the Creator is that?

TIMERY: You see it too?

SILVER: Stars above, don’t just pop out of nowhere like that! I– I’m sorry, I’m a bit on edge. Between whatever the hell that is and showing up here and– I’m Silver.

TIMERY: Timery, but you can call me Tim. As for that thing… It just kind of showed up recently. No one really knows where it came from.

SILVER: Has it… Hurt anyone?

TIMERY: Hasn’t hurt anyone, no, but did give quite the scare to my nan which is almost as bad. This part of the woods belongs to her. Seems like only she and I can see the thing, though; everyone else we’ve brought by just sees the woods as normal. The fact that you can see it either means it’s real or it’s a very powerful fantasy.

SILVER: You think you could just imagine a massive stone egg with tentacles?

TIMERY: In my defense, no one but me and nan could see it. Thought maybe she got a bit in my head.

SILVER: …Yeah, I can see how that would happen. Unfortunately– or fortunately depending on how you wanna look at this– your tentacle egg is real.

TIMERY: Well, when you put it like that I almost wish I were still convinced I was seeing things. I don’t suppose you’re one of the magic types that can make something like this go away, are you? I’d ask some of the casters in town, but–

SILVER: They can’t see it. I… It’s been a while since I’ve attempted any magic that might work on a scale like this, but I can give it a try.

It’s a fascinating… Object? Creature? It feels almost familiar in some ways.

TIMERY: You’ve seen something like this before?

SILVER: (absentmindedly) Not in person, no, but… I’ve seen images of this before. Stars, this must’ve been well before I started working with Minerva. This looks like something Opal showed me years ago, the Spellerman’s Egg. Apparently they were created as a joke, something–

Based on my drawings.

TIMERY: What was that?

SILVER: Nothing! Nothing. It’s… Someone very dear to me taught me about these a very long time ago, back when I was a child. They’re harmless, prankster spirits that take on these massive forms but really–

(Small poof)

They’re quite tiny.

TIMERY: My gods. That’s probably why no one else saw it, it was probably popping down to this size whenever we brought folks by. You said it’s a trickster spirit?

SILVER: A harmless one. They’re a bit like young children, wanting to play little pranks but not quite sure how to accomplish them. I can take this one off your hands for you if you’d like, Tim.

TIMERY: You sure you don’t mind? What if it gets all big on you again?

SILVER: I think I should be able to handle it unless you want to hold on to the little guy.

TIMERY: It would probably be best for him to leave with you. I best go tell nan that the problem is sorted. Are you able to make your way back to town on your own? You seemed a bit lost before and I don’t want you getting even more lost on your way back.

SILVER: Thank you, Tim, but I’ll be alright. I have a much better idea of where I’m going now.

(walking)

A Spellerman’s Egg. Stars, I never thought I’d see one in real life. It… You were just supposed to be a little project in art and magical creation, little buddy. I never thought that they had made you real. I remember drawing you, not quite sure what I was trying to create, but Opal had looked so proud anyway, carrying the picture and my silly little description over to Alasdair and–

And I guess they made you real. 

You’re like a little touchstone, buddy. Something physical I can hold that makes me think of Opal and Alasdair, makes them appear clearer in my mind. Tim was right, I was lost, but I remembered more this time. They came back to me so quickly once I found you… Maybe if I just hold on to you–

ALASDAIR: Opal, did you do a scan for–

OPAL: Already on it. (tapping) …When did you make them real?

ALASDAIR: I could ask you the same question. That knowledge flow had to come from somewhere, after all… (pause) I made the first one shortly after he went missing. It was silly, but I thought it might bring him home.

OPAL: …I thought the same thing. And now it might.

(tapping)

This file came from 672-Y and there’s no trace of her now. To be expected, but still frustrating. How many places did you put Spellerman’s Eggs in?

ALASDAIR: Just a handful of realities that border the Valley of Stars. 672-Y wasn’t one of them. So either they’ve fallen through or–

OPAL: Or Minerva is moving them to mess with us. I knew it seemed like she was storing up power for something. It takes way more energy to move a creature through reality than it does a person, Whim. They’re just… Bigger, in every sense. Even the smallest creature has a million ideas and thoughts from a million people tied to it. Most people don’t have as strong of ties to their reality as a creature would as they only exist in the minds of so many people in their lives. If Minerva is moving creatures…

ALASDAIR: She may be planning on putting Silver in contact with more and more of these creatures as a means to throw us off.

OPAL: Except she can’t plan that since she doesn’t seem to know any better than we do where Silver will end up. I think she’s moving the creatures to make our job harder. If she knows more places where these creatures exist than we do, she has a better chance of finding Silver first.

ALASDAIR: …Did mum and ren talk to you about Minerva? And… And what comes next?

OPAL: A little bit, yes. I… If she can do this, Alasdiar–

ALASDAIR: I know.

OPAL: You know I wouldn’t advocate for this unless I thought it was the only way forward. Unless we can find a way to fully contain her, she’ll need to be decommissioned. Permanently. Silver may not like it but… But the lives of everyone in reality have to come before their feelings, no matter how much I want to protect their feelings too.

ALASDAIR: We don’t know that she wouldn’t want Minerva decommissioned… But knowing her, she would much rather Minerva be contained, which just doesn’t seem possible at this point. Marigold is already talking about ripping the magic straight out of Minerva with her bare hands, though I don’t think that would be possible either.

OPAL: (chuckling) I wouldn’t doubt Mari’s abilities to do the impossible. Especially when she’ll have Guillermo’s help pulling Minerva apart. …Do you think we should be focusing more on finding Minerva than Silver? 

ALASDAIR: She’s just as difficult to find as Silver is.

OPAL: But she’s likely more stationary. 

ALASDAIR: Unless she’s truly floating in the void. There wouldn’t be anything to anchor her there, not between us and reality.

OPAL: It’s just a thought. I… I might send out another probe, just to do another sweep of the in between. Perhaps there are some clues we’ve missed floating there. 

(pause)

I suppose we should actually allow you to get settled this time, Whim. You know where to find me if you need anything, alright? And Alasdair–

ALASDAIR: I’ll talk to Mari if you talk to Memo. I can even give you my notes from after I originally talked with Memo if that’ll be helpful.

OPAL: …You can have mine from my conversation with Mari as well. Let us know if you need anything, Whim.

(walking)

(tapping)

SILVER: They came back to me so quickly once I found you… Maybe if I just hold on to you–